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Welcome to Richland Electric Cooperative!

If you are new to Richland Electric Cooperative, we would like to say, "Welcome" and we look forward to working with you to meet your needs. If you are already a member of the cooperative, we extend our thanks for your continued membership and we stand ready to assist you with your project.

We are organized as a cooperative and as such we are not just an ordinary business. We are a business owned by our member-consumers. We provide service to over 3,500 members in and around Richland County, Wisconsin. In order to receive electric service from REC you must be a member of the cooperative. You also have a voice in how our cooperative is operated. You are represented by a Board of Directors that are members of the cooperative. Each year you have the opportunity to vote for your choice of director or, if you desire, run for the position yourself. Director elections are held each year at our Annual Meeting held in March. There are nine directors on the REC Board and three are up for election each year.

Rates increase just under 5%

Richland Electric Cooperative rates will increase by an average of just under five percent this year. Members will notice the increases on their bills they receive in June.

"Raising rates is always the last option at REC," said Shannon Clark, CEO and General Manager. "Recent changes in the cost of wholesale energy and the increased cost of fuel for local operations played the largest role in driving this increase."

Citing the cost of environmental regulations related to power plant operation, Clark emphasized the role of members in making sure legislators understand their position. "Whether you feel some of the environmental regulation is right or wrong, each member needs to know the financial impact on energy costs of these regulations" added Clark. "In fact, even the threat of new onerous regulations, whether real or perceived by the industry, adds to member energy bills."

REC is bumping the facility charge upward by $1.75 per month, bringing it to $28.25 per month for most accounts. This will account for the largest portion of the rate increase.

Some members will see an increase of less than 5% due to how they use energy, while others will experience increases by as much as 8%, particularly those with little to no energy usage due to the increase in facility charge.

New rate policies and a summary of all rates are available from REC directly or may be obtained by visiting the cooperative's members only site, https://rec.ebill.coop/css. Members without an EBILL account may register online. Registering for an EBILL account will not require you to change your billing from paper nor change any of your payment options.

Co-op Connections Card Puts Value in Your Wallet

Richland Electric Cooperative's (REC) commitment to you goes beyond providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity.

We're always looking for ways to provide value to our members and our community, especially during tough economic times. That's why we're now offering the Co-op Connections Card to our membership. The card is a money-saving tool that connects you with discounts on everything from hotel stays to prescription drugs to discounts from other local businesses.

REC members should receive the Co-op Connections Card in your mailbox toward mid-January. The letter you receive introducing the card should include one Co-op Connections Card and two key fobs.

Many merchants throughout our community accept the card so be sure to present the card at their register to receive your discount! We hope you patronize these businesses and take advantage of the discounts they offer. For a complete list of all participating businesses in our area, simply follow the Co-op Connections Card link.

One of the most valuable features of the Co-op Connections Card is the pharmacy discount. While it is not insurance, the discount can mean savings of 10 to 60 percent on prescription drugs. The logo and information on the back of your card is recognized at more than 60,000 national, regional, and local pharmacies.

The pharmacy discount has been widely used by members of Touchstone Energy co-ops across the country, resulting in combined savings of nearly $35 million on prescriptions. Want to find out more? Log on to www.locateproviders.com to search for pharmacies in our area honoring the card. Use code 22203 as the group number under the "Groups" login section. Next, enter your zip code.

The card also gives you access to online savings at more than 95 national retailers like Barnes & Noble, Hertz Rental Cars, Best Western hotels, ProFlowers.com and many more. You can check out all the great national discounts at www.connections.coop.

As a Touchstone Energy co-op, Richland Electric Cooperative strives to serve our members according to four core values: integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. Our Co-op Connections Card is one of the ways we live up to those values.

Please contact us at 608-647-3173 with any questions you have about the card and how to take advantage of the discounts it provides.

Faster Satellite Internet is Here!

The truly fast satellite Internet has arrived and it's called Exede^SM by ViaSat. How fast is it? The download speeds on the new exede by ViaSat service will be up to *12 Mbps! The new upload speeds will be up to *3Mbps. That's fast!

Interested in getting the new Exede by ViaSat? Contact your local service provider, Richland Electric Cooperative, for complete details. See more Exede by ViaSat information.

Note: *All speeds listed are the advertised/target performance of "up to" speeds. Actual speeds received by individual subscribers may vary based on multiple factors including but not limited to time of day, consumer device utilized, in-home network.

Photo Contest January 1 - November 30, 2012

Richland Electric Cooperative (REC) is having another photo contest for REC members in 2012. Get your camera ready to take more great photographs of the greater Richland area. With the beautiful seasons we have here in southwest Wisconsin, hopefully you can capture some vibrant photos of the winter, spring, summer and fall seasons and local scenery. Winning photos may be used in cooperative publications as well as on the website.

Contest rules, entry forms and photo release forms can be picked up at our office, we can e-mail you a copy, or you may download them here:

• Photo contest rules
• Photo contest entry form
• Photo contest minor child permission form

See the photo contest information page.

2011 Youth Leadership Congress

Richland Electric Cooperative (REC) sponsored three area high school students, Billy Marshall, Dana Peterson and Jacob Joseph to attend the 2011 Youth Leadership Congress (YLC). The event is held annually at the UW-River Falls campus. Through a mix of workshop sessions, hands-on activities, and team-building experiences, over 130 students were exposed to a variety of real-life issues and were given the opportunity to identify and explore their leadership potential. See the complete Youth Leadership Congress story.

Electric Fireplaces

Now is a great time to purchase a Dimplex® electric fireplace or electric stove from Richland Electric Cooperative. When it's dark outside, the wind is howling, and the snow is deep, you can enjoy the flame of an electric fireplace by the touch of a remote control. Want heat with your flame? Easy, just adjust the thermostat on the fireplace and sit back and relax. Or if it's warm outside and you'd love to have the ambience of a fire, just turn the flame on and enjoy.

An electric fireplace gives you lots of options, but not lots of expense. Stop in our office soon to see the realistic flames on the electric fireplaces we have on display. More about Electric Fireplaces